4 - Literaturized Blacks and Jews; or, Golems and Tar babies: reality and its shadows in John Edgar Wideman and Bernard Malamud

Summary

Rava created a man and sent him to Rabbi Zera. Rabbi Zera spoke to him and he did not answer. Then he said: You must have been made by [talmudist or pietist] sorcerers; return to your dust.

Tractate Sanhedrin 65b

[A continuation:] And what would have enabled the man to answer? His soul. But has man a soul that he might transmit? Yes, for it is written in Genesis 2:7: “He blew into his nostrils the breath of life” – thus man has a soul of life [the ability to speak].

Sefer Bahir

De same ebenin eh mak Tar baby, an eh gone an set um right in de middle er de trail wuh lead to de spring. So Buh Rabbit come along to git some water. Wen he ketch de spring, he see Tar Baby duh tan dist een front er de spring. Eh stonish. Eh stop. Eh come close. Eh look at um. Eh wait fur em fuh mobe. De Tar baby yent notice him. Eh yent wink eh yeye. Eh yent say nuttne. Eh yent mobe. Bu Rabbit say, “Hey titter, enty you guine tan one side an lemme git some water?” De Tar Baby no answer. Rabbit said, “H'llo, old man, what you doin here?” De Tar Baby didn't answer. “Don't you heah me talkin’ to you?” De Tar Baby ain't said nothin'. De Tar Baby stan day. Buh Rabbit haul off an slap um side de head. “Turn me loose, turn me loose, or I'll hit you with the other paw!” De Tar Baby hole um fas. Eh yent say one wud.

“Tar Baby,” from Negro Myths